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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Louisville, KY
236 PM EDT Tue Apr 8 2025 /136 PM CDT Tue Apr 8 2025/

...NWS Damage Survey for 04/03/2025 Tornado Event...

..East Louisville Tornado...

Rating:                 EF3
Estimated Peak Wind:    145 mph
Path Length /statute/:  9.68 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   350 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             04/03/2025
Start Time:             12:29 AM EDT
Start Location:         1 SSW Jeffersontown / Jefferson County / KY
Start Lat/Lon:          38.1864 / -85.582

End Date:               04/03/2025
End Time:               12:39 AM EDT
End Location:           2 NW Conner / Jefferson County / KY
End Lat/Lon:            38.2477 / -85.4254

Survey Summary:
A tornado touched down, beginning along Watterson Trail and
Rivanna Dr, continuing into a heavily industrial section west of
Blankenbaker Dr, crossing near the cloverleaf of I-265 and I-64, 
and then continuing into some residential areas along Beckley 
Station Road, crossing Shelbyville Rd, and then lifting near Long 
Run Rd and Pope Dale Rd. It was on the ground for just under 10 
miles and lasted 10 minutes. Its widest point is estimated at 350 
yards and peak winds of 145 mph, or an EF3 tornado.

A few trees were uprooted as the tornado first touched down near 
Rivanna Dr. and Watterson Trail. It was mostly elevated as it 
continued to near the Jeffersontown municipal building, where it 
peeled back roofing on a metal warehouse and topped a few trees 
and one uprooted tree. The tornado moved east northeast peeling 
back the roof of a tall metal warehouse building just off Electron
Dr. 

The tornado intensified along Ampere Court and Ampere Drive. The 
northeast side of a brick institutional building was completely 
blown out. Trees were uprooted and insulation was thrown in 
multiple directions. A large metal building had a failure of 
X-braces in the lateral load resisting system. Metal pieces and 
insulation were thrown into trees and road signs. Immediately 
next-door, at KEP electric there was a complete destruction of 
another building, which had a brick bottom half and a metal top 
half, and the metal and insulation was thrown in every direction, 
some of which traveled close to a mile. This was the strongest 
part of the tornado, and it only maintained this strength briefly.
Tornado wind speeds were between 140 and 145 mph, EF3, with a 
width of 200 yards in this area. Some very subtle terrain is noted
on topographic maps just west southwest of this area as well as a
relative clearing of buildings, and these factors may briefly 
have influenced the strength of the tornado. 

A concrete warehouse building along Technology Drive had the 
walls blown down and roofing material lifted up and twisted in 
many directions. There was a collapse of pre-cast concrete tilt-up
panels. There were several collapsed light poles as well. This 
was the widest part of the tornado, an estimated 350 yards. At J &
J, Transportation on Plantside Drive, a metal warehouse, had a 
failure of X-braces in the lateral load resisting system. Debris 
from the building was thrown at least a half a mile. At the Chick-
fil-A across the street, bricks were peeled off the building, a 
large amount of roofing material was twisted and lifted. At 11900 
Plantside Dr. (next door to Chick-fil-A) the metal roof of a brick
building was peeled and thrown, and an extremely large air 
conditioning unit was thrown off the roof to a distance of 75 
yards, weighing several hundred pounds. Farther east on Plantside
Drive behind the Interstate Battery building, at Creation 
Kingdom, a large section of the metal building was opened up, and 
metal support beams were twisted and bent. At Warren Technology at
Campus Place, two brick walls were knocked out. The metal roof 
was peeled off, windows blown out, trees were uprooted, and many 
vehicles were moved and windows all blown out. Papa Johns 
headquarters building had some windows blown out, and some HVAC 
units damaged on the roof, but overall the building fared very 
well. 

On Pope Lick Road, trees were twisted and topped, power 
poles were snapped. At Interstate 64 at English Station Road, 
signs were twisted and damaged and numerous trees were topped, 
twisted, and uprooted. The Stables Apartments had roof damage, 
windows blown out, and car windows blown out. At Beckley Hills 
Drive at Beckley Hills Road, there were multiple homes with siding
off, shingles off, blue tarps on roofs, gutter damage, and many 
missing shingles. There were several areas in Floyd s Fork Park 
that had trees topped and uprooted. The last damage point was off 
of Flat Rock Road at 1710 Pope Dale Rd, where there were a few top
trees and a couple of uprooted trees in a forested area. 

The National Weather Service would like to thank Louisville 
Emergency Management, Kentucky State Emergency Management, Justin 
Hilliard for drone footage taken soon after the event, and too 
many other sources to name here for helping us archive these data 
while the extended period of historic flooding occurred across the
region. 

&&

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories:

EF0.....65 to 85 mph
EF1.....86 to 110 mph
EF2.....111 to 135 mph
EF3.....136 to 165 mph
EF4.....166 to 200 mph
EF5.....>200 mph

NOTE:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the event and publication in
NWS Storm Data.

$$

RJS/CSG